


Security | History

by ivnwrites



Category: The Matrix (Movies)
Genre: After the first movie, Alternate Universe, I know Tank was supposed to die after the movie but I'm ignoring that., Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 02:34:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11888100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivnwrites/pseuds/ivnwrites
Summary: The Machines used human minds for their processing power, connecting them all together to form one gigantic CPU, but more specialized programs were limited to one mind, restructuring it's neural pathways to fit the task. It was unknown what would happen if one of these system administrators was taken offline, but the information that could be gained made the endeavour worth the risk.





	Security | History

Neo craned his neck to look out the Nebuchadnezzar’s windows. He could see long bundles of wires tracked along the ceiling, spires flashing briefly into view as they passed some of the holes to the surface. “What are we doing down here?” He and the other crew members had been rudely awakened by a loud *bang* and Tank’s frantic yell of ‘Sorry!’ echoing through the decks.

“We received this mission directly from Zion.” Morpheus explained from his copilot’s seat. “I was told we’ll be retrieving one of the system administrators.”

“Wait, we’re kidnapping a machine?” Trinity swung out from her handhold on the wall, gripping Neo’s shoulder to keep her balance. “That’s suicide, and they know it.”

“We’re not going after a machine, apparently the system admin is human.” Morpheus ignored their shocked expressions and began adjusting controls to prepare for landing. “The two of you need to grab the excursion gear, this is going to be a manual retrieval. ETA: five minutes.”

They scrambled off the bridge to don their protective gear, folding a portable hover gurney into Neo’s pack as they did. The ship stopped moving and made their way to the exterior hatch. Trinity held up a hand before they opened it and reached up to flick her radio on. “Comm check, one two.”

“We read you loud and clear, Trinity. Neo?”

“Yeah, comm check, how do I sound?”

“We read you five by five. Now, the two of you need to be careful. Maintain radio silence as much as possible. We’re right underneath the machine city, so if anything goes wrong, chances of rescue are slim to none.”

“Roger that, oh and Morpheus?” He grinned at Trinity as she began to turn the valve to open the hatch. “Work on the pep talks.” They pulled the hatch open and Neo dropped down with a soft grunt. He helped Trinity settle onto his shoulders so she could reach up and reseal the hatch without having to strain on the tips of her toes.

Trinity slid to the ground, pulling a modified GPS from her pocket. “The system admin is about thirty meters that way.” She pointed down a long cavern to their right. They began to make their way through it quietly, listening intently for any movements aroundthem. After a while she nudged Neo, pointing to a blue glow up ahead. “That has to be it.”

They approached and saw one of the pods used to store humans resting in the center of a nest of wires and consoles. Trinity used Neo’s cupped hands as a step and climbed up to examine the pod. There was clearly a human inside, but it glowed a clear blue rather than the normal vibrant pink, and it radiated cold, a set of tubes leading away to what appeared to a refrigeration unit. She tapped her headset, looking at it in confusion. “The system admin is in an abnormal storage pod, please advise on retrieval.”

Tank came over the radio. “Abnormal how?”

“Surface is cold to the touch, the gel also appears to be different. How much time do we have?”

“There’s some other ships up at broadcast depth that are creating a distraction for us, but I don’t think it’ll be enough time for us to get the whole pod back to the ship.” Tank grimaced before sitting back in his chair with a shrug. “There aren’t any docbots around to help. You’re going to have to just cut 'em out and sedate ‘em, we’ll deal with any consequences when you get him back to the ship.”

She looked over at Neo, who had clambered up to the pod during the exchange and pulled a large knife from his belt. “You ready?”

He nodded and handed her the knife, slinging off his pack as Trinity placed the tip of the knife at the top of the pod. At the count of three she slit open the membrane and Neo slipped his hands through the gap. He let out a sharp hiss. “Christ, this stuff is freezing.” He felt his way blindly until he grasped the back of the person's neck and pulled them into a sitting position still halfway inside the pod. He wrapped his numb fingers around the breathing tube and pulled it out of the person’s throat, waiting for the coughing and gagging that always followed. It didn’t come, instead the man slumped forward, almost dipping back into the pod before Neo caught him.

Something nudged his thigh, and he looked down to see that Trinity had unfolded the hover gurney. The two of them began working the man out of the pod, pulling out fewer umbilical chords than normal as they did. When they removed the headjack the man convulsed, letting out a garbled sound before going limp again.

Neo and Trinity locked eyes for a second before pulling the man out entirely to wrap him in a blanket and secure him to the gurney. She climbed down first and Neo lowered the gurney down to her before jumping after it. They had begun the walk back to the Nebuchadnezzar when Tank radioed them again.

“Guys, I’m getting alarms popping up all over the place.” They could hear squeaks in the background as tank adjusted the monitors, scrambling around the cockpit. “I’m powering up the ship, start running.” They glanced at each other before Neo handed his bag to Trinity and stepped behind the gurney, pushing it ahead of him as they broke into a sprint.

The Nebuchadnezzar was hovering just above the ground when they reached it. The ramp was lowered and Morpheus stood at the edge. Neo gave the gurney a shove, letting it coast up the ramp as he followed behind. He heard the hydraulics hiss and turned to see Morpheus punching the intercom. “They’re aboard, get us below broadcast depth.”

“Hang on to something!” Trinity managed to wedge the gurney against the wall with her hip as the ship lurched into motion. They hurtled through the sewers, listening to the clanking of loose machinery in the upper decks. She and Neo shared an impressed look when Morpheus managed to clamber out of the loading bay to make his way to the cockpit. After a few minutes Tank yelled across the ship. “This is pretty much going to be free fall, hold on tight!”

Neo felt his stomach twist as his feet lifted partway off the ground. He reached out and steadied the gurney as it began to drift away from Trinity, knitting his brow when he was able to get a better look at the man’s face.

The ship stopped suddenly, nearly sending them toppling to the floor and making the gurney bob on its hover pads. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for flying the Nebuchadnezzar. We sincerely hope you’ll come again.” They could hear Tank’s grin through the intercom.

Trinity took a step away from the gurney and placed 3a hand on Neo’s shoulder. “Let’s get him to the recovery room.” Neo nodded an followed her through the winding corridors of the ship, navigating the gurney through the winding hallways. They reached the sterile room and found Morpheus waiting for them in the doorway. Neo pulled him aside as Trinity pulled the gurney into the center of the room and began to gather equipment.

“Morpheus, he looks exactly like-”

“I know.”

“But you said there was no way for them to manifest in the real world.”

“Right now we know exactly nothing, and until we know more, I’m not going to speculate.” He glanced through the window of the recovery room and received a nod from Trinity. “We’ll get our answers when he wakes up.”

**Author's Note:**

> Any guesses as to who the system admin is?


End file.
